Student’s clever yearbook quote could get her banned from graduation

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A high school senior could be banned from her graduation ceremony over a quote she submitted to the yearbook.

According to WSB-TV, Paris Gray, a student at Mundy’s Mill High School in Clayton County, Ga., wrote the seemingly scientific advice, “When the going gets tough, just remember to Barium Carbon Potassium Thorium Astatine Arsenic Sulfur Uranium Phosphorus.”

By matching the elements to their symbols on the periodic table, they spell a new, less academic, message: “Back that a– up.”

Despite the fact that no yearbook editors or adults marked the quote as inappropriate before the book’s publication, administrators punished her when they learned of the code Friday. They gave her an in-school suspension and forbade her to participate in a senior walk after the yearbooks were distributed.

“I think their reaction was beyond what it should have been because nobody understood it,” Gray said.

Gray, who is a senior class vice president and a member of SADD and the Beta Club, expressed her worry that the fallout from this incident will ruin her senior year, saying it is “taking a big toll.”

An assistant principal told her she would no longer be allowed to give her planned inspirational speech at the graduation ceremony, but a school district spokesperson said that no decision has been made yet.

The area superintendent and the principal were scheduled to meet with Gray’s mother Tuesday morning.

6 comments

datablade

Once again showing how inane school administrators are these days. If they had just kept their mouths shut how many folks would have even heard of this clever use of the periodic elements table? Not many, but now the school is the laughing stock of the country. Nice work, administrators!

Lindsay

Clever and hilarious! As a female scientist who had to memorize the periodic table, I applaud her creativity to sneak a nerdy joke into the yearbook. That can actually be a pretty good icebreaker in a job interview for a scientific position if the interviewer is familiar with the periodic table and has a sense of humor!

D

Sheila Awong

Clever? Yes. Inappropriate? Yes. Just because you CAN do it doesn’t mean you SHOULD do it. No matter how smart, pretty, intelligent and talented a girl is, poor judgement will land her in hot water every time. She is representing an entire school, gender and race. It may seem funny and cute now, but she will forever be the butt of all senior jokes (no pun intended). She should definitely be held accountable for her actions, as well as the editors for allowing it. Her high school accomplishments should not be overlooked and I believe she should be able to graduate, but perhaps her actual diploma should be withheld until she submits a written apology to the school officials detailing the lessons she learned from all this.